Tuesday 30 October 2007
Where are they now?
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 09:41 0 comments
Labels: Central Ayrshire, MPs, Phil Gallie
Monday 29 October 2007
Navel Gazing
So Liberal Democrat Party Leadership contender Nick Clegg MP has suggested that the Lib Dems were "too inward looking" under the leadership of Sir Menzies Campbell MP.
Mr Smith is amazed at his honesty, but would suggest that on occasion nothing can beat a bit of navel gazing. But Mr Smith has one question to ask those Lib Dems who were involved in this activity ... did they find any fluff ... Mr Smith loves it when you find a bit of fluff ... during a bit of navel gazing.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 10:08 0 comments
Labels: Liberal Democrats, Menzies Campbell MP, Nick Clegg MP
English votes for English MPs.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 09:15 0 comments
Labels: Conservatives, English MPs, West Lothian Question
Sunday 28 October 2007
Bush's Baghdad Palace.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 10:22 0 comments
Labels: American Embassy, Iraq
Saturday 27 October 2007
Cutting out waste.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 09:40 0 comments
Labels: Jo Swinson MP, Liberal Democrats, waste
Friday 26 October 2007
On expenses.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 14:38 0 comments
Labels: Frank Doran MP, MPs, MPS Expenses
Turkeys and Christmas
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 00:03 0 comments
Labels: George Foulkes, PR, Scotland
Thursday 25 October 2007
Well done Douglas.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 09:36 0 comments
Labels: Douglas Alexander MP, Holyrood elections
Wednesday 24 October 2007
Muddle not a fiddle II ?
"PRIME MINISTER Gordon Brown is facing accusations he has breached Westminster expenses rules after subletting his constituency office to party colleagues. The Scottish MP signed a £1600 "sub-under-lease", which allows Labour activists to use part of his taxpayer-funded office in Kirkcaldy. But Commons rules state MPs "may not sublet accommodation which you lease and pay for out of the allowances". The prime minister is now "clarifying" his office sublet agreement with the Westminster authorities."
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 09:29 0 comments
Labels: Gordon Brown, Marilyn Livingstone MSP, office expenses, rent
Time off.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 00:19 0 comments
Tuesday 23 October 2007
Members' Interests.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 09:44 0 comments
Labels: George Clooney, Interests, Jim Sillars, Margo MacDonald MSP
Unparliamentary language.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 09:16 0 comments
Labels: Alex Fergusson MSP, ALEX SALMOND, insults
Monday 22 October 2007
Congratulations.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 10:59 0 comments
Labels: 200th post
Supplementing your pension.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 10:48 0 comments
Labels: MSPs, pensions, Scottish Parliament
Hey good looking.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 09:47 0 comments
Labels: candidates, Election, pictures
Sunday 21 October 2007
Beancounters Wanted.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 09:45 0 comments
Labels: finance, Scottish Government
Dimmer.
The latest insight comes from Labour Lord O'Neill of Clackmannan (Labour): “My Lords, can my noble friend confirm that there are light fittings which are inappropriate for energy-saving light bulbs; namely, dimmer switches? A lot of households and offices have them. Before the existing wasteful light bulbs are phased out, there needs to be a proper replacement which can be accommodated within these fitting which are common in many households and buildings.”
Way too much detail.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 09:42 0 comments
Labels: bulbs, dimmer, Lord O'Neill
Saturday 20 October 2007
Black Sheep.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 09:18 0 comments
Labels: Barack Obama, cousins, Dick Cheney
Friday 19 October 2007
Wood for the plastic.
Why not just go the whole hog and replace all the real trees with plastic ones, afterall we are approaching Christmas don't you know.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 09:31 0 comments
Labels: Forestry Commission, plastic bags, trees
"Bolshie" Sturgeon.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 09:18 0 comments
Labels: Nicola Sturgeon MSP
Thursday 18 October 2007
Court-ing disaster.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 07:25 0 comments
Labels: Court of Session, elderly, Scottish Government
Mick bites his tongue.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 07:15 0 comments
Labels: Michael Martin MP, Press Gallery
Wednesday 17 October 2007
Pond life.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 01:16 0 comments
Labels: hazards, ponds, Scottish Parliament
Tuesday 16 October 2007
Crazy.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 01:45 0 comments
Labels: Conservative Party, wills
Harold!
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 01:19 0 comments
Labels: Menzies Campbell MP, resignation, Steptoe
Just not tourism.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 01:12 0 comments
Labels: Kenny MacAskill MSP, kerb crawling
Monday 15 October 2007
On expenses.
Must be all those expenses claims then? Or are they being employed to put more effort into checking the expenses claims that are already submitted?
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 04:10 0 comments
Labels: MSP Expenses, Scottish Parliament
Trainspotting.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 04:03 0 comments
Labels: Irvine Welsh, Scottish Government
Sunday 14 October 2007
Northern Rock.
Giving a statement on the issue in the House of Commons, Chancellor Alistair Darling MP declared that “With permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a statement on Northern Rock plc. Before I start, however, I draw the House’s attention to the fact that I have informed both the Register of Members’ Interests and the Treasury’s permanent secretary that, like many others, my wife and I have a mortgage with Northern Rock, but no savings or deposits”
Just as well then or he probably would have been queuing up along with the bank’s other customers to get his cash out. But how did he manage to get away with not declaring this information until weeks after the crisis broke?
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 11:06 0 comments
Labels: Alistair Darling MP, mortgage, Northern Rock
Saturday 13 October 2007
He's a spinner.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 11:04 0 comments
Labels: Gordon Brown, spin
£136,677 a year.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 06:24 0 comments
Labels: George Galloway MP, Lawyers, Michael Martin MP
Mandarins.
Who said public service doesn’t pay?
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 06:18 0 comments
Labels: civil servants, Mandarins, Whitehall
Friday 12 October 2007
Oh! George.
“Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour): My Lords, will my noble friend—
“Noble Lords: Oh!
“Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour): My Lords, thank you for that warm welcome back. Noble Lords may actually agree with me, in a few moments ..."
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 01:08 0 comments
Labels: George Foulkes, House of Lords
Call him Al.
“A GROUP of self-styled "grass-roots Democrats" sent a full-page open letter to Al Gore in the New York Times, begging the former vice president to enter the US presidential race. Draftgore's advert, which says 136,000 people have signed an online petition, was published yesterday, two days before this year's Nobel Peace Prize is expected to be announced. Gore has been nominated for the prize because of his campaign highlighting global warming.”
Mr Smith suspects that Al probably has better things to be doing with his time. Anyone for a Nobel Prize?
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 01:03 0 comments
Labels: Al Gore, Presidential Elections 2008
Thursday 11 October 2007
Poll dancing.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 03:38 0 comments
Mr Galloway's pay packet.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 02:50 0 comments
Labels: George Galloway MP, Michael Martin MP, wages
In confidence?
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 02:33 0 comments
Labels: Scottish Government, UK Government
Wednesday 10 October 2007
Behind bars.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 06:08 0 comments
Labels: Kenny MacAskill MSP, prison, Scottish Government
Tuesday 9 October 2007
Norvege. Nil points.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 02:23 0 comments
Labels: Consular offices, Norway
On your bike.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 01:18 0 comments
Labels: ALEX SALMOND, Scottish Government, travel
Monday 8 October 2007
Riaghaltas na h-Alba.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 10:37 0 comments
Labels: Gaelic, Scottish Government
Knife crime.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 10:18 0 comments
Labels: knives, postcards, Strathclyde Police
Away from home.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 10:07 0 comments
Labels: Allowances, Rhoda Grant MSP
Sunday 7 October 2007
He's the Joker.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 15:17 0 comments
Labels: General Election, Gordon Brown
Saturday 6 October 2007
On the Grapevine.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 10:42 0 comments
Labels: Grapevine, town twinning, West Lothian Council
Piggy bank.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 10:37 0 comments
Labels: budget, Scottish Government, UK Government
Friday 5 October 2007
On expenses.
It really shoots a major hole in the theory that MSPs need more cash to do their jobs. Over half a million pounds was paid to MSPs under the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance Scheme which allows some of them to profit from buying property at the taxpayers expense and then being able to pocket a profit when they sell it.
Over the same time period expenses claims for staff costs actually FELL.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 02:08 0 comments
Labels: MSP Expenses
Thursday 4 October 2007
Going green.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 12:26 0 comments
Labels: Green, Robin Harper MSP
Hypocrisy?
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 12:18 0 comments
Labels: party funding, Scottish Labour Party
Mercury rising.
Posted by Jefferson Smith at 12:10 0 comments
Labels: Lord Forsyth, mercury